The European Union and Egypt signed a partnership this Sunday in Cairo with a budget of 7.4 billion euros. This aid will give some oxygen to the Egyptian economy and strengthen cooperation in many areas such as energy and trade. “But we must not hide from the fact that the migration aspect constitutes an essential aspect, if not the essential element of this agreement”, according to Philippe De Bruycker, professor at ULB, a specialist in European immigration and immigration law asylum.
A strategic partnership with a country in crisis
Looking at the European delegation that made the trip, the signing of this strategic partnership between the European Union and Egypt is an important event. In addition to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen who signed the agreement with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, there were the Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, the head of the Italian council Giorgia Meloni and the Belgian prime ministers Alexander De Croo and Greek prime ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
With this agreement, with 7.4 billion euros in funding over three years, the Europeans want to support the stability of Egypt, a country of 106 million inhabitants with a sluggish economy and record inflation. “Indeed, this is one of the objectives. It is about preventing this country from falling into a real situation of economic and social decay. Because, who says economic instability, says migratory risk at the start of Egypt.”
At the heart of an unstable region
Another source of concern for Europeans is the instability in the region around Egypt: “This country has many refugees, particularly Sudanese (according to figures from the World Organization for Migration, some 9 million migrants and refugees are present in Egypt, including 4 million Sudanese, Editor’s note). Egypt is also close to the Gaza Strip, which could, even if this is not the case now, generate new migratory flows. So it is as a preventive measure, to guard against migratory flows in the future that this partnership is concluded.”
The migration aspect of the agreement
The European Union plans to finance boats for the Egyptian Coast Guard and means to strengthen Egypt’s borders with Sudan and Libya, leading opponents of this type of agreement to say that the European Union uses its partner countries like policemen.
“This is correct,” believes the ULB professor. The European Union is counting on these countries to prevent the departure of migrants towards its territory. In other words, there is financial support which is provided both to Tunisia today and tomorrow to Egypt to enable them to retain their territory candidates for departure to the European Union. We have also seen this, for example in Libya, with the financing of materials, equipment, and training. The Libyan coast guard is the policeman who prevents migrants and refugees from leaving for the European Union.”
An “effective” European migration policy
In recent months, the European Union has made these “strategic partnerships” a central element of its migration policy. Before Egypt, there was Tunisia and Mauritania. “And we are announcing a new partnership with Morocco,” adds Philippe De Bruycker who analyzes the results already observed for these partnerships.
We can certainly analyze the results of the partnership with Turkey, which is based on an agreement that already dates back to 2016. It is undeniable that this agreement has significantly reduced the flow of migrants and refugees, particularly Syrians, towards the European Union and in particular towards Greece. We cannot deny that this type of partnership is effective in terms of managing migratory flows. I think it is the same in the case of Tunisia. It seems that the flows have also decreased. So I don’t think we can question the effectiveness of these mechanisms.”
A legitimate migration policy?
On the other hand, the specialist in European immigration and asylum law questions the legitimacy and legality of these partnerships. First, on the merits, ” The European Union forgets that there is a human right which is recognized in all international and European texts, it is the right to leave any country. For example, migrants have the right to leave Libya. By indirectly supporting policies that aim to prevent them from exercising this right, the European Union is violating it and is not legitimate .”
As a lawyer that he is, Philippe De Bruycker also questions the form: ” The European Commission signs agreements in the name of the Union, even though it does not have the power to do so. This activism of the European Commission corresponds to a violation of the treaties and it is quite curious that it is repeated in the case of Egypt, when the European Commission had already been criticized for the conclusion of the partnership with Tunisia. “
And even if the presence of European heads of state and government during the conclusion of partnerships with Egypt, Mauritania, and Tunisia seems to validate the action of the European Commission, criticisms are all the same. even issued by the European Parliament. ” MEPs have just voted on a motion regarding a disbursement of 150 million euros which was made for the benefit of Tunisia and which it is said could return in whole or in part to the coffers of President Kaïs Saïed himself. ”
European firmness as the elections approach
One question remains: why is the European Union pursuing these strategic partnerships at this time? Is this a response to an increase in migratory flows towards the European Union or a policy that aims to counter the far right during the next European elections?
For Philippe De Bruycker, you have to see a little of both. ” It is a question of both trying to reduce the migratory pressure on the European Union which for the moment is significant. In 2022 and 2023, we are close to a million asylum requests. Secondly, the fact that we are campaigning for the European elections also explains this activism of the European Commission to prove, after the adoption of the Pact on Migration, that it is indeed trying to manage this phenomenon and that we are doing something, in particular, to speak to the far-right voters. We could even go a little further and think that this is also an element that is part of the campaign of the President of the European Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, who, as we know, is a candidate for her succession. “
